How to Write an Ideal Essay

Mastering the Skill of Essay Writing

Essay is an attempt at a short piece of writing that discusses, describes or analyzes a topic. Essays are of various types such as, expository, persuasive, narrative and literary reviews. Writing is a skill and you can learn to write outstanding essays by following some rules and practicing. Diligence and direction are crucial to master essay writing skill. You have three different processes and they are pre-writing, actual writing and finally after writing. Most of all you need to be focused and have the desire to succeed. Just follow these guidelines and surprise yourself by writing that Ideal Essay.

Prewriting activities consist of:

1. Reading the question/ topic carefully
2. Highlighting the necessary cues
3. Being part of Research/ brainstorming session/ discussion/ enquiry
4. Note down the necessary details
5. Organizing the information

Writing is significant because you will be making an effort to present  information. Each essay can be divided into three sections: introduction, body and conclusion. Each part should present specific elements of the essay. Let us discuss each part in detail.

You don’t know who will read your essay. In other words, you do not have the privilege of looking at the reader face to face. So you need to be extra careful in impressing the reader and retaining his/her attention throughout the essay. Get into the shoes of a prospective reader as much as you can to make your essay extraordinary.

The Introduction comprises of:

1. Hook
2. General information
3. Topic explanation’
4. Thesis: stand/ premise + 3 or more reasons
5. Transition to the body

Introduction starts with a hook or a sentence (question/ quote/ maxim) to grab the attention of the reader. It is followed by general information on the topic and then the description of the exact topic. The most important part of any essay is the thesis that comes next. A thesis is a statement which tells the reader what the whole essay is about and for a persuasive essay, it is the backbone which carries the whole body. In essence, the thesis should describe your stand on a topic and justification for taking such a stand.

Body paragraphs:

1. Topic sentence / Statement/ opening sentence (T)
2. Explanation of the topic sentence           (E)
3. Factual Example  (FE)
4. Relate to thesis     (RT)

Each paragraph is derived from the thesis and it is the opening statement or the topic sentence. Each paragraph discusses only one idea and you need to complete the TEFERT formula. For each body paragraph, the same formula should be followed. You need to have a concluding sentence and a transition sentence at the end of every paragraph.

The final part is the conclusion.

Conclusion:

1. Transitional sentence to wrap up the essay
2. Summarize the body paragraphs
3. Write your thesis in different words with more authority
4. Concluding sentence

Conclusion starts with the sentence for closing your writing. You need to reinforce your information to the reader by summarizing as well as writing a mini-thesis. The final sentence is the concluding sentence for the essay.

After writing:

The tasks that you do after writing polish up your essay. Read again to check your grammar and spelling. While you are reading you might come across repetition, please edit this. Alter words to be more accurate and precise with your expression. Most importantly, read to see if the essay flows coherently with the ideas. Check for:

1.  Spelling
2.  Grammar
3.  Punctuation
4.  Apt words
5.  Flow/ coherence

Above all, you should be able to write fluently in the right diction. Reading and practice will make you a master of essay writing. A simple way to study and remember words is to carry a vocabulary handbook, in which you can note down new words. Try using those words in your conversation or writing to imbibe these into your own style.

I guess you are now on track to master the skill of essay writing. Good Luck and Be Happy!!